People are Taking Notice

I've lectured: "Addressing the deficit now is not economically friendly nor will it create the jobs this state needs."

I've warned: "There is no budget crisis.  The debt the state has is manageable for now and once the economy is strong enough, the state will gradually have to generate more revenue and cut into entitlement programs.  For the last several years it's been the neo-conservative plan to privatize education."

I've complained: "The governor cannot possibly address billions of dollars of projected debt by taking solely from the public worker."

I've even pouted: "I've been married for sixteen years and could afford only two family vacations in that time - Shedd Aquarium four years ago and Mount Rushmore two years ago.  I can't possibly afford cuts to our insurance and a salary freeze.  Over the course of the next three years, I'll lose more than $18,000 out of pocket."

Just when I thought it couldn't get worse, the governor stated the following while trying to sell his "economic plan" in Wrightstown:  "For example, you can still have places that went to 15 or even 18 (percent) and still be below where the average middle-class taxpayer in this state is paying: 20 percent of their health care," he said. "We don't mandate what the amount is; we give them the tools to do that."  This was Walker's solution for how make up for the reduced state aid - municipalities and school districts can ask their employees to pay even more for health care.

Walker's "plan" leaves municipalities and school districts short money, even with public workers paying the percentages Walker has advocated.  In response to that shortage, Walker has proposed

1. Simply take more;

2. Increase class sizes (thus resulting in teachers without jobs); or 

3. Reduce the number of days in the school year (thus resulting in less and, therefore, worse education for children).

At what point will citizens see that there is no economic plan or plan to improve education?  There is no such plan.  

There is, however, an agenda.  And this agenda is to privatize public offerings and to promote the well-being of the well-off.

Slowly....people are taking notice.